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Drilling in alpine ecological fragile areas for the energy and mineral exploration needs superior low temperature drilling fluids with the required environmental protection of the ecosystem and a high efficiency of core drilling. To meet this demand, a comprehensive study on the appropriate material sourcing, lab measured properties and mechanism analysis of a new drilling fluid suitable for such areas was conducted by a systematic method of theoretical analysis, experimental work and a verifying field test. As a result, a new low temperature vegetable gum drilling fluid (NCKL) was developed by mixing with kuli vegetable gum, antifreeze potassium formate, nano silica, polymer synergist, and inorganic treatment agent. Lab test results showed that NCKL had an easy preparation, good low temperature rheology, viscoelasticity, anti-collapse property, and exceeding environmental protection level requirement (as per LC50 test). An analysis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to investigate the microscopic features of NCKL, which led to a low temperature mechanism explanation. Finally a successful field test demonstrated that NCKL provided a new potential solution for a better core drilling in complex strata of alpine ecological fragile areas.

This study examines the effectiveness of sodium erythorbate, potassium formate, and polyethylene glycol for the formulation of high-performance water-based drilling fluids. High-performance water-based drilling fluids are environmentally-friendly, remain stable when exposed to high temperatures, and retard problems associated with reactive shale. A biopolymer, diutan gum, is used as drilling fluid viscosifiers in the preparation of drilling fluid formulations. The viscosities of the drilling fluid formulations with pH 8-10 were measured using Model 1100 viscometer before and after aging dynamically in a roller oven for sixteen hours. Shale rock samples were characterised using scanning electron microscope photos while X-ray diffraction analysis was used to identify the mineral contents of the shale samples. Shale dispersion tests were carried out by aging shale cuttings in an inhibitive drilling fluid formulation and in freshwater dynamically in a roller oven for 16 hours at 120°C. The percentage recovery of shale rocks after dynamic aging was determined. Experimental data indicated that the diutan gum stability temperature in bentonite water-suspension after aging for 16 hours was 115°C. Experimental data also indicated that the mud formulations with the additives - sodium erythorbate, potassium formate, and polyethylene glycol - retained their viscosities up to 232°C. The additives, therefore, significantly retarded the degradation of the biopolymer and other mud additives up to 232°C. The result from the shale dispersion test showed that the shale cuttings recovered from freshwater was 78%; with drilling fluids formulated with the additives, the shale cuttings recovered were 100%. This new fluid system which is stable at high temperatures and inhibits shale dispersion can meet high temperature and shale formation drilling requirements.

Liquid-liquid equilibrium (LLE) data for poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) of different molecular weights (600, 1500, 3000, 6000) + sodium formate (NaCHO2), potassium formate (KCHO2) + water at different temperatures (298.15 and 308.15 K) and for PEG (1500) + sodium formate + water at different pH values (8.05, 9.06, 10.92), were determined experimentally. The tie lines and plait point are reported at different PEG molecular weight, pH, temperature and type of cation. Furthermore, the effect of those parameters on binodal curve, tie-line length (TLL) and slope of tie line (STL) are discussed in detail by comparing the results to that of literature data. The effective excluded volume (EEV) values obtained from the LLE data were used to study the effect of the parameters on the binodal curves. The phase composition and the tie-lines’ ends were obtained by measuring the density ( ρ ) and refractive index ( n D ). Furthermore, the binodal curves and the tie-line compositions were well-fitted by using some semi empirical equations.

Bubble pressures of the Potassium formate – Water solution (HCOOK + H2O) were measured in the temperature range 313.15–453.15 K with the mass fraction of HCOOK from 0.2–0.75. The experiment...

The selection of an appropriate draw solution is crucial to the successful implementation of desalination for the treatment of highly saline fracking wastewaters via the forward osmosis (FO) process. In this report, four organic compounds (potassium acetate, potassium formate, sodium glycolate, and sodium propionate) were identified as candidate draw solutes for the first time for desalination of fracking wastewater by FO. Higher average FO water fluxes were achieved for the identified organic draw solutions (10.50–13.26 LMH for synthetic fracking wastewater and 19.05–24.05 LMH for real fracking wastewater) compared to commonly used draw solution, NaCl (average FO water flux: 8.25 LMH for synthetic fracking wastewater and 14.44 LMH for real fracking wastewater). Higher average FO water fluxes were obtained due to likely lower reverse salt fluxes for the organic draw solutions compared to NaCl. Higher FO water fluxes were achieved for the real fracking wastewater, as compared to the synthetic wastewater, due to higher osmotic pressure differences between feed and draw solutions. Membrane distillation could be used as a downstream separation technique in the FO process for recycling of the identified draw solutes.

Mixed-reactant fuel cells are unconventional electrochemical power sources which use a thermodynamically unstable mixture of fuel and oxidant. In the work described here a 2-phase mixture of alkaline potassium formate (liquid)/oxygen(gas) is the fuel/oxidant combination used in the “flow-by” mode with mixed-reactant fuel cells, developed in the laboratory from a 10E-4 m2 single cell to a bipolar stack of nineteen 35E-4 m2 cells. With Pd/Ag anode/cathode catalysts, operating at 500 kPa(abs), 80 °C the single cell with a Pd load of 0.054 kg m−2 reaches a superficial power density of 4,000 W m−2 at 10,000 A m−2. Tests of the 19 cell stack with a Pd load of 0.036 kg m−2 at 300 kPa(abs), 60 °C give power output up to 120 W, with a corresponding volumetric power density about 400 kW m−3. To demonstrate the fuel cell performance three nominally 100 W 19 cell stacks are wired in parallel to a 250 W electric motor to drive a modified electric scooter, with on-board fuel, oxidant and an adult passenger, for about 15 minutes at 10 km h−1. To our knowledge this is the first time mixed-reactant fuel cells have been used alone to power a vehicle.

A ruthenium porphyrin-based porous organic polymer (POP) was synthesized, characterized, and used to reduce CO2 to a formate salt. We demonstrate that Ru-BBT-POP can be utilized to reduce CO2 to a silyl formate and then converted to potassium formate with a respectable turnover number and frequency.

Experimental investigation on the performance of novel composite desiccant Silica Gel and Sodium Acetate Coated Heat Exchanger (SASCHE) is conducted for typical summer and winter seasons in the city of Shanghai, China. First, effects of main parameters such as regeneration temperature, hot and cooling water temperature, inlet air velocity, thermal coefficient of performance ( COP th ) and energy efficiency are experimentally investigated in summer and winter for dehumidification-cooling and humidification-heating application, respectively. Then, its performance is compared with Single Silica Gel Coated Heat Exchanger (SCHE), and Potassium Formate and Silica Gel Coated Heat Exchanger (PSCHE). In the summer season, the experimental results showed that the new composite desiccant material can handle dehumidification-cooling process with an excellent performance regarding cooling capacity and efficiency. The dehumidification capacity of SASCHE is improved by 10% and 30% in comparison with that of PSCHE and SCHE, respectively. In the winter season for humidification-heating process, the average humidification capacity of SASCHE is two times higher than PSCHE and SCHE. Additionally, indoor comfort conditions are satisfied with high hot water temperature and low inlet air velocity for summer season, while low hot water temperature and high inlet air velocity are recommended for winter season.

Vapor liquid equilibrium of two ternary systems potassium formate (HCOOK) + propylene glycol (C3H8O2) + water (H2O) and potassium formate (HCOOK) + glycerol (C3H8O3) + water (H2O) were studied at t...

Chemoselective hydrogenation of nitrobenzaldehyde derivatives is one of the important catalytic processes being studied in hydrogenation catalysis. In this work, we report for the first time the catalytic reaction over atomically precise gold nanocluster catalysts (Au25, Au38, Au52, and Au144) using potassium formate as the hydrogen source. A complete selectivity for hydrogenation of the aldehyde group, instead of the nitro group, is obtained. A distinct dependence on the size of nanocluster catalysts is also observed, in which the Au38(SCH2CH2Ph)24 gives rise to the highest catalytic activity. The catalyst also shows good versatility and recyclability. Interestingly, the ligand-off nanocluster changes its catalytic selectivity to the nitro hydrogenation, which is in contrast with the ligand-on catalyst. In addition, the selectivity can be restored by treating the ligand-off nanocluster catalyst with thiol. This reversible control of chemoselectivity is remarkable and may stimulate future work on the exploitation of such nanoclusters for hydrogenation catalysis with control over selectivity.

Metal formates sometimes occur as degradation products on heritage objects due to the use of wood products or other sources of formic acid and formaldehyde. They are often related to alkaline surfaces which transform formaldehyde directly into formate. The dominant role of formate on alkaline surfaces, for example in glass-induced metal corrosion (GIM) or calcium carbonate degradation, was explored in the Stuttgart research on rare heritage corrosion products. This review discusses these findings together with those from the literature: ocurrences of sodium and potassium formate on glass, calcium formate and calcium acetate-formate phases on calcareous materials, magnesium formate on Sorel cement and dolomitic sandstone, lead formate on metal and pigments, cadmium formate on coated objects, as well as various copper and zinc formates on copper alloys. In the latter cases, formates dominate as glass-induced metal corrosion products. The formation of formates constitutes irreversible damage, degrading the material of heritage objects. Therefore, preventive conservation needs to remove all sources of carbonyl pollutants in order to avoid such corrosion.

This work examines formate salts as potential phase change materials (PCMs) for middle-high temperature (≤250 °C) latent heat thermal energy storage applications. The thermophysical properties of three formate salts were characterized: pure sodium formate and binary blends of sodium/potassium formate and sodium/calcium formate. The stability of formate PCM’s was evaluated by thermal cycling using differential scanning calorimetry where sodium formate and sodium/potassium formate appeared stable over 600 cycles, while sodium/calcium formate exhibited a monotonic decrease in heat of fusion over the test period. A longer test with sodium formate led to gas release and decomposition of the salt. FTIR analysis of the PCM showed degradation of formate to oxalate. T-history experiments with 50-g PCM quantities demonstrated a bulk supercooling of only 2–3 °C for these salts. Thermal conductivity enhancement of over 700% was achieved by embedding aluminum in the solid PCM. Finally, mild carbon steel was immersed in molten sodium formate for up to 2000 h. Sodium formate was found to be non-corrosive, as calculated by mass loss and confirmed by cross-sectional high-resolution microscopy. FTIR analysis of the PCM after 2000 h shows oxidation at the free surface, while the bulk PCM remained unchanged, further indicating a need to protect the formate from atmospheric exposure when used as a PCM.phase change materials; formate salts; latent heat thermal energy storage; thermal cycling; supercooling; thermal conductivity enhancement; corrosion

Xanthan gum solutions have gained increasing interest for their use as environmentally friendly chemicals in the oil industry. Xanthan is compatible with most concentrate brines used for controlling formation damage and fluid loss. Particularly, formate brines reinforce the ordered structure of the biopolymer in solution, gel strength, and the specific gravity of the resulting fluid. In this paper, we studied the effect of thermal aging on the rheological behavior of xanthan solutions as a function of the concentration in potassium formate. Ionic strength below a threshold concentration does not prevent the degradation of the structure of xanthan after being submitted to aging at 165 °C. Aged solutions show an important loss of strength in their mechanical properties, lower pH, and higher content in furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural. Highly concentrated formate brines are necessary to maintain the strength of the rheological properties after exposure to high-temperature environments, This research was funded by the EU-FEDER Program, grant numbers P18-RT-4684 and CTQ-2017-89792-R

PdNi electrocatalysts supported on carbon were used as anode materials for methane oxidation in alkaline direct methane fuel cells (ADMEFCs). The electrocatalysts were successfully synthesized by the NaBH4 reduction method. X-ray diffraction measurements showed the formation of non-alloyed Pd in the face- centered cubic (FCC) structure for all materials and formation of NiO and Ni(OH)2 species. TEM images showed that the metal particles are well dispersed on the support with small agglomeration regions. Information about the surface structure of the catalyst were obtained by Raman spectra, mainly confirming the presence of Ni(OH)2. The species observed by DEMS, that is, methanol (m/z = 32), CO2 (m/z = 44) and potassium formate (m/z = 84) were confirmed by FTIR, which also showed the presence of a high amount of carbonate in the methane oxidation products of the ADMEFC with Pd50Ni50/C as the anode catalyst. Tests in ADMEFCs showed that the dependence of the maximum power density on nickel content in the catalysts goes through a maximum value of 13.5 μW cm−2 at 50 at% Ni. Moreover, the amount of produced methanol decreases with increasing Ni content in the PdNi/C catalysts. Both these results can be explained by the enhanced methanol oxidation in the presence of nickel.

Highlights • A new method for microplastic extraction from lake sediments is proposed. • Potassium formate was applied for density separation. • Repeated wet peroxide oxidation was applied to digest organic matter. • Quality control procedures are proposed. • The effectiveness of the microplastic extraction with potassium formate is 98.0 ± 2%., In recent years, microplastics (MPs) contamination has been emphasized as one of the most global ecological problems. Bottom sediments were identified as one of the major sinks of MPs, while river-lake systems - as the main transport routs of MPs into the coastal seas and the World Ocean. Thus, the MPs determination in freshwater sediments is an important task for identifying sedimentation processes and contamination sources. Density separation is commonly used to extract anthropogenic particles from bottom sediments. The proposed method is dedicated to determining the abundance of MPs in freshwater organic-rich sediments. Repeated wet peroxide oxidation was applied to digest organic matter that can hamper the microplastic determination in a sample. Potassium formate with a density 1.5 g/mL was used as a separation solution. This method is intended to identify various types of MPs (fibers, films, fragments and beads) ranging in size from 0.174 to 5 mm. The effectiveness of the MPs extraction with potassium formate was 98.0 ± 2 % (р = 0.05; n = 16), while the extraction of MPs when analyzed under a microscope was 92.0 ± 4% (р = 0.05; n = 20)., Graphical abstract Image, graphical abstract

A series of sulfonated lignin (SL) samples modified with a silane coupling agent (Si–SL) was investigated as a biodegradable shale inhibitor for water-based drilling fluid (WBDF). Cutting dispersion, linear swelling, bentonite inhibition, and mud ball tests were used to evaluate the inhibition performance of the Si–SL series of and compared with conventional shale inhibitors including potassium formate (HCOOK), polyethylene alycol (PEA), Ultrahib polymer, and polyacrylamide potassium salt (K-PAM). The results showed that the inhibition performance of a series of Si–SL was similar to that of Ultrahib and was significantly better than that of HCOOK, PEA and K-PAM at normal temperature. In addition, compared with other inhibitors, Si–SL showed optimal temperature resistance. The inhibition mechanism of Si–SL was studied by particle distribution, rock compressive strength measurement, shale micro-fracture propagation synthesis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement, adsorption measurement, contact angle measurement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation and atomic force microscopy observation. At high temperature, Si–SL can be strongly adsorbed on the surface of clay particles, while phenyl in molecular chain of Si–SL is conducive to improving the temperature resistance and reducing the hydrophilicity of the surface of clay particles, thus effectively preventing the migration of water molecules to the clay layer. More importantly, through biotoxicity and biodegradability test, the results showed that Si–SL had no toxicity and was easy to be biodegraded. In field application of Bei 213-21HF well, the Si–SL effectively inhibits the hydration of water-sensitive cuttings and maintains the wellbore stability of the shale formation, providing a guarantee for safe and fast drilling.

The production of cyclohexanone, of industrial importance, is at a distance to environment friendly and efficiency. As a solution, a mild sustainable catalytic hydrogenation is presented herein, of phenol into cyclohexanone on Pd/C with potassium formate the hydrogen donor under open atmosphere. Some important reaction conditions, such as temperature, reaction time, catalyst, amount of potassium formate, etc. were investigated and analyzed. The positive growth was found to accelerate the conversion rate of phenol while reducing cyclohexanone selectivity by weakening the protection of phosphotungstic acid. Phosphotungstic acid was confirmed to be the co-catalyst exhibiting the highest activity under given conditions. Based on experiments, we have made reasonable assumptions about the reaction mechanism, while the reaction kinetics proves high reaction rates within a wide temperature range, indicating the reaction to be quick process. Furthermore, the good reusability and recyclability of Pd/C catalyst is verified to benefit future industrial applications.

This paper presents the measurement of the equilibrium vapour pressure of H2O/KCOOH solution with a concentration in salt from 60 to 80% in the temperature range from 5 to 75 °C typical for desiccant application. The experimental measurements were performed in a VLE apparatus instrumented with a pressure gauge having a maximum uncertainty (k = 2) within ±35 Pa and a platinum resistance thermometer having a maximum uncertainty (k = 2) within ±0.05 K. A set of 40 experimental data points on H2O/KCOOH equilibrium vapour pressure was fully reported and compared with the unique other set of experimental data (Beyer and Steiger, 2010) available in the open literature and also with the estimation of a referenced chemical engineering property database (Aspen Plus®): a reasonable agreement was found in both the cases. A best-fitting regression model based on present set of data was also reported: the mean absolute percentage deviation between experimental and calculated data is 1.1%.

Hollow fibres have been studied as the substitute for metallic materials due to the advantages such as light weight, corrosion resistant and low cost in heat and mass transfer applications. A novel ...

An appropriate draw solution selection is a key to successful implementation of closed-loop pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) process for sustainable energy generation. In this study, the organic compounds potassium citrate, calcium acetate, potassium oxalate, potassium acetate, ammonium acetate, ammonium carbamate, ammonium formate, potassium formate, sodium glycolate, sodium propionate and calcium propionate were identified for the first time as highly effective draw solutions (except for NaP) using an easy desk-top screening method. This method identified these organic compounds by considering physical state at ambient condition, water solubility and osmotic pressure. The draw solutions were comprehensively evaluated for water flux, power density, and reverse salt flux through a laboratory-based investigation of the PRO process. The peak power densities achieved for the identified draw solutions were 5.32–6.73 W/m2 at 2.8 MPa osmotic pressure. These peak power densities increased from 109% to 118% (11.1–14.64 W/m2) when increasing the osmotic pressure of the draw solutions by 50% (4.2 MPa). A significant increase in the peak power density was obtained due to the very low reverse salt flux for the organic draw solutions (0.029–0.0699 mol m−2 h−1 and 0.0325–0.0854 mol m−2 h−1 at osmotic pressures of 2.8 MPa and 4.2 MPa, respectively). The identified organic draw solutions were also analyzed as distillable and thermolytic through gravimetric method, for the identification of potential downstream recovery methods to recycle the draw solutions in the closed-loop PRO process. Membrane distillation could be used as a downstream separator technique for the distillable organic draw solutions; however, only the ammonium carbamate among the thermolytic compounds could be separated downstream by using a low-temperature thermal distillation process.

Drilling and completion operations in HP/HT environments demand the use of environmentally friendly fluids with suitable properties such as solid-free high-density and pseudoplastic behavior. Xanthan gum solutions in different brines may be an interesting alternative to ensure a suitable thermo-rheological behavior and biodegradability. Nevertheless, xanthan exposed at high temperature experiences thermal degradation that can modify the flow properties over time and limits the ceiling temperature of oilfield applications. To gain insight on this issue, this paper characterizes the flow behavior of low concentration XT solutions in calcium and potassium brines, evaluating the effect that potassium formate exerts on both the flow properties and the resistance to thermal degradation of xanthan solutions as a function of the biopolymer concentration. Xanthan in formate brine retains the pseudoplastic behavior up to 190 °C, however, low concentrate solutions undergo a thermal degradation that decreases the recovery of pseudoplasticity after being exposed to high temperature.

Nowadays, the widespread application of formate fluids in petroleum industries due to its feasibility and its high potential to have more compatibility with the several formation characteristics would become a revolution to control the drilling inefficiencies and provide lower drilling expenditures. Formate fluids have the ability to maintain the property of drilling fluid on the high temperatures and high pressures, reduce the resistance of hydraulic flow, and decrease the rate of corrosion rate for the contact of drilling pipe with drilling fluid. The objective of this comprehensive study is to investigate the visual laboratory measurements of rheological characteristics, consider the profound impact of different types of pollutants on the rheological property, pore pressure transmission (henceforth; PPT) tests to measure formation pressure, and analyze the different concentration of salts for each drilling fluid. The drilling fluids are utilized in this study are silicate muds, glycol muds, sodium and potassium formate muds, and base muds. Consequently, regarding the results of this investigation, it is clarified that NaoH has performed the least impact on the rheological properties of formate fluids and sodium/potassium formate fluids has the minimum formation pressure (PPT tests) which leads to be operated as the best choice in drilling operations. Moreover, the more concentration of salts in the drilling fluid would be a weakening point which indicated that formate fluids would not be appropriate in higher salts concentration.

Recently, the utilization of formic acid (FA) or formate as promising hydrogen carriers through the interconversion between CO2 and HCOOH or HCO3– and HCOO–, respectively, has attracted increasing research interest. In this work, a PdAu bimetallic catalyst supported on phenylenediamine-alkalized reduced graphene oxide (Pd0.50Au0.50/PDA-rGO) was developed for catalyzing bicarbonate hydrogenation under basic conditions as well as FA/formate dehydrogenation under acidic and basic conditions. Without any additives, a very high yield (94%) of potassium formate (PF) can be achieved from the hydrogenation of potassium bicarbonate at 50 °C for 16 h. On the other hand, initial TOFs of 1.63 × 103 and 6.98 × 103 h–1 were accomplished in the dehydrogenations of 6 mol/L PF and 8 mol/L FA, respectively, at 80 °C. This work successfully demonstrates highly efficient CO2 hydrogenation and is the first report of a Pd-based heterogeneous catalyst for the additive-free dehydrogenation of concentrated (>6 mol/L) PF or FA sol...

Winter maintenance of high-traffic volume roads requires chemicals for the strategy of obtaining sufficient friction. Challenges often arise in very cold temperatures because the effect is reduced. To improve the low temperature ice-melting capacity of road salt, additives are sometimes used. There is a lack of knowledge as to how these additives affect low temperature ice-melting capacity. The tests often use SHPR H-205.1 and H-205.2; however, recent research has shown that the SHRP tests produce inaccurate results. This paper uses calorimetry to study the effect of additives on the low temperature ice-melting capacity of sodium chloride (NaCl). Magnesium chloride (MgCl2), calcium chloride (CaCl2), potassium formate (KFo), calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), and sugar (sucrose) were added to NaCl at −18°C. The chemicals were also tested individually. The measurements were done in a recently improved custom-made calorimeter, described in the paper. The results showed that solid chemicals had a far higher melting capacity than solutions. In a solid state NaCl had the highest ice-melting capacity, however, the results differed for solutions, where brine had the lowest. CaCl2had the highest ice-melting capacity of the solutions, melting 285% more than NaCl at −18.6°C. This was followed by MgCl2, KFo, mix NaCl/CaCl2, mix NaCl/CMA, CMA, and mix NaCl/MgCl2. The improvements using chlorides (MgCl2and CaCl2) depended on the amount of additive. KFo had a destructive influence on melting capacity when mixed with NaCl, whereas mixing CMA with NaCl produced a higher melting capacity than the two components individually. Sugar froze at −18°C.

New liquid–liquid equilibrium data for polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3000 + CHO 2 K + H 2 O systems were measured at 298.15 K and pH values of 7.95, 8.40 and 9.98. It was found that an increase in pH caused the binodal curve to be displaced downward and the two-phase region to expand. Accordingly, the binodal curve was adjusted to the Pirdashti equation and the tie-line compositions were correlated using the Othmer–Tobias, Bancroft and Hand equations. The study measured the refractive index and densities of several homogeneous binary and ternary solutions. The solutions were used for calibration within a range of 0% to 30% of the mass of the PEG and potassium formate. The density and refractive index data show a linear variation with the mass fraction of the polymer and the salt. The effect of pH on the binodal, tie-line lengths (TLL) and slope of the tie-line (STL) in the systems was examined. It was found that an increase in pH increased the TLL and decreased the STL. It was observed that the density of the aqueous two-phase system was influenced by the TLL. The difference in density between phases (Δ ρ ) increased as the TLL and pH increased. It was found that the TLL and Δ ρ showed a linear relationship. The effective excluded volume (EEV) of the PEG was obtained and it was found that EEV also increased as the pH increased.

Small organic molecules such as alcohols and formate salts can be readily transformed into hydrogen and carbon dioxide through electrochemical reforming at low energy cost. In this article methanol and potassium formate are studied for hydrogen production in alkaline anion exchange membrane electroreformers using two anode electrocatalysts, nanoparticle Pd and Rh supported on carbon (5 wt%). Firstly, we report a study of the electrochemical activity of both catalysts in electrochemical test cells at 80 °C. Formate oxidation kinetics are found to be fast on both catalysts. Rh/C shows the best performance for methanol electrooxidation with an onset potential 200 mV lower than Pd/C and a specific activity almost double reaching the value of 2600 A g −1 Rh . The energy cost and conversion efficiency for hydrogen production was determined in complete electrochemical reforming cells at 80 °C using both anode catalysts. The energy costs are low for both substrates ( −1 H2 ) with Pd/C producing hydrogen from potassium formate at an energy cost of 5 KWh kg −1 H2 . Considering both the energy consumption and conversion efficiency (substrate to hydrogen), it is shown that the Rh/C catalyst performs best with methanol as substrate.

This preliminary laboratory research aims to explore the impact of nanoclay and carbon microfiber in combating the deterioration of asphalt concrete by non-chloride deicers. Modified boiling water test, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and contact angle test were employed to investigate the effects of nanoclay and carbon microfiber on asphalt concrete in the presence of four non-chloride deicers, namely, dipotassium succinate, potassium formate, potassium propionate and potassium acetate. The results indicated that the incorporation of small amount of nanoclay in asphalt concrete produced a notably improved stripping resistance and reduced moisture susceptibility, while the addition of carbon microfiber increased moisture susceptibility. The deterioration effect of the four non-chloride deicers on asphalt mastic was discussed based on their molecule’s hydrophilic-lipophilic properties.

Drilling through shales with higher clay content is highly challenging with water-based drilling fluids. Numerous shale swelling inhibitors such as salts, polymers, and other chemical additives are used in drilling muds to stabilize shale formations. The inspection of the swelling inhibition capabilities of these additives is of utmost importance before its field application. Capillary Suction Timer instrument has been used to evaluate the shale inhibition performance of three categories of shale stabilizers for water-based drilling fluids. Each category of additive contains three different types of chemicals: salts (Potassium Chloride, Potassium Formate, and Choline Chloride), polymers (polyN-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide, poly[2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride and Polyvinylpyrrolidone) and ionic liquids (1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride and two other deep eutectic solvents). Capillary Suction Time for each chemical additive has been determined for various concentrations at room temperature. This test helps assess the clay swelling capability of the drilling mud in the presence of different additives at various concentrations. The Capillary Suction Time is dependent on the type and concentrations of chemical additive exhibiting a relative change in clay water interaction inhibition. The ionic liquids area significant category for clay swelling inhibition showing a minimum increase in Capillary Suction Time after 24 h. This indicates shale inhibition durability of the additive by resisting the water intake by clay. In addition, Fourier Transform Infra-Red and X-ray Diffraction techniques helped in characterizing the clay under consideration. The present work focuses on modeling the capillary suction time using machine learning algorithms. This technique provides a robust model for assessing the swelling capabilities of the drilling mud based on the concentration and types of additives. Of the different algorithms used, the Gradient Boosting algorithm provides the best model for capillary suction time estimation with an accuracy of 98%.

In this paper, composite silica gel and potassium formate as typical organic weak acid salts is proposed to use in desiccant coated heat exchanger (DCHE). An experimental study on dynamic adsorption performance of desiccant coated metal sheet samples is conducted to obtain results with different proportions of silica gel and potassium format. A DCHE testing platform is then used to compare thermodynamic performance between single silica gel coated heat exchanger (SCHE) and composite potassium formate and silica gel coated heat exchanger (PSCHE). It is found that impregnating potassium formate into porous silica gel is an effective method to improve adsorption capacity, and 75% saturated potassium formate solution is recommended to constitute composite desiccant under experimental conditions. Compared with SG coated sheet, on average the maximum adsorption mass of SG&0.75PF coated sheet increases 2–3 times. Besides, PSCHE can obtain about 20% higher moisture removal capacity compared with SCHE under experimental condition, meaning the utilization of composite silica gel and potassium formate desiccant can effectively improve dehumidification capacity. PSCHE also can obtain 50% higher total cooling capacity compared with SCHE.

The retention behavior of primary aliphatic amines (homologous series of aliphatic alkyl amines and cycloalkyl amines) and positional isomers of alkylamines in the hydrophilic interaction chromatography mode was studied. The study was carried out on a TSKgel Amide-80 column followed by postcolumn derivatization with fluorescence detection to describe the retention mechanism of tested compounds. The effect of chromatographic conditions including column temperature, acetonitrile content in the mobile phase, mobile phase pH (ranging from 3.5 to 6.8), and salt concentration in the mobile phase was investigated. The final mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and solution of 20 mM potassium formate pH 3.5 in ratio 80:20 v/v. The analyses were carried out at mobile phase flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and the column temperature of 20°C. The developed method was fully validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity (limit of detection and limit of quantification), accuracy, and precision according to International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use guidelines. The proposed new methods were proved to be highly sensitive, simple, and rapid, and were successfully applied to the determinations of isopropylamine, cyclohexylamine, and cyclopropylamine in relevant active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent, bioaccumulative, and potentially toxic chemicals that contaminate many water sources. Removing PFAS from water and ultimately degrading them into products that lack carbon-fluorine bonds will be important for decontaminating water resources. Among numerous emerging degradation methods, mechanochemical degradation of PFAS by ball milling has proven to be a simple and efficient method. However, the reaction pathway and final products after defluorination of PFAS have not been rigorously identified. Herein, we study anionic PFAS degradation by ball milling with alkali hydroxides and identify its degradation byproducts in the final powders for the first time. The degradation of PFAS occurred when KOH was used as a co-reagent, and no degradation is observed with LiOH, NaOH, and CsOH. Results showed degradation of both carboxylic and sulfonated PFAS within 24 h and best KOH:PFAS mass ratio was found to be approximately 20:1. Ion chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis, and 1H, 13C, and 19F NMR spectroscopy revealed that milled powders obtained after perfluorocarboxylate degradation consisted of KF, K2CO3, and potassium formate. Perfluorinated sulfonates also produced K2SO4. Further, we characterized a byproduct by solid-state 19F NMR spectroscopy that contains CxFx functional groups, which was formed during the degradation of all tested PFAS. The results and underlying methodology in this study will inform decisions on the scalability of ball milling processes for PFAS destruction, as well as the safe disposal of end products.

Using the methods of design of experiments, filtration properties of the bentonite-free mud system that contains xanthan gum, starch, sodium and potassium formate salts, calcium carbonate and Alevron agent at temperature range of 130–170 °C, differential pressure of 1–5 MPa and initial permeability of ceramic filters of 0.95–7.20 D were studied. Regression models were built for the НТНР filtration loss and permeability of a ceramic filter after mud cake build-up depending on mud additives concentrations, temperature, differential pressure and initial filter permeability, which provide high accuracy of experimental data approximation.